In the year 2020,
I felt like I had to stop speaking my mind.
I knew I’d offend friends and family by talking about what I thought
was
the truth.
Conversations needed to be had
but
no one wanted to hear them.
Fear drove them to turn off their brains.
Fear often does this.
We all became more selfish,
another result of fear.
Selfishness was encouraged.
‘Stay home
and stay away from your friends and family.
Work from home.
Don’t have more than 6 family members at thanksgivng.
Don’t go to school.
No handshakes or hugs
and
your smile must be hidden under a mask.
Don’t travel.
Don’t research.
Don’t ask questions.
Stay home
and shut up.”
What did they think would happen to us?
Of course we become selfish.
Of course we treated each other like shit.
We had every reason to bail on our friends to stay home and watch more T.V.
What did they think would happen to us?
Fear.
Selfishness.
Dying relationships.
Hatred.
Pettiness.
And
They decay of the curious mind.
Suicide.
Overdose.
Mental health.
Did they know this would happen?
How could they not?
Millions in third world countries starve to death.
Children starve to death.
That's what happens when you lock-down the world.
And it was fucking obvious this would happen.
So many jobs were lost.
Mostly by women.
They had to stay home with the kids that had to try to learn to read through zoom.
What a waste.
So much for their progress.
The hope for the future was lost.
Meaning was lost.
The politicians drove a wedge between us.
They had to know this would happen.
Bachelor parties celebrated through videos.
Proms canceled.
Kids couldn’t play their sports.
They couldn’t play on the jungle gym with their friends.
A swing swayed slowly back and forth,
the joints squeak with each sway.
A tumbleweed rolls by
And the kids were at home,
playing video games
and driving their parents crazy.
Parks were empty.
Schools
empty.
Gyms
Empty.
Bars
Empty.
Our hearts
Empty.
Our hopes for the future
Empty.
Our love for our neighbor
Empty.
Our belief in our leaders
Empty.
Our brains
Empty.
There's no other way to write about how we’ve been feeling.
You might say this is too depressing
and you’ve already been depressed for years.
But
This
Is
Our
New
Reality.
It’s been two years of this bullshit.
You better buckle up
and ride the ride.
Or
stand up
and speak your truth.
What did they think would happen?
-C.H.